Marking device



H. J. DEVON MARKING DEVICE Jan. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 7, 1947 l l .L

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lNVENTOR HARRY J. DEVON 42? M Maw H. J. DEVON MARKING DEVICE Jan. 2, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 7, 1947 T EMTIKAE E INVENTOR HARRY .J. DEVON fl Patented Jan. 2, 1951 MARKING DEVICE Harry J. Devon, Mount Lebanon, Pa., assignor to J as. H. Matthews & 00., Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 7, 1947, Serial No. 746,485

1 Claim.

This invention relates to marking devices and particularly to hand marking devices comprising a holder and a die separate from the holder attachable to and removable from the holder at will and such that a number of similar dies for making difierent markings may be selectively and periodically used with the same holder. The invention comprehends a new and improved holder, 9, new and improved die and a new and improved marking device consisting of a holder and die in combination.

While the invention is of general utility in the art of hand operated selective die marking devices it may be embodied in what is commonly termed'a rocker die. A rocker die is a die of curved form adapted to be used by moving it over the article to be marked in the manner in which a rocker of a rocking chair moves over the floor. For purposes of explanation and illustration the invention will be described as embodied in a marking device comprising a rocker die and holder.

A rocker die set normally comprises a holder and a number of interchangeable dies which may be selectively fastened to the holder for use. The dies may, for example, be rubber-faced brass-backed dies adapted to be used with an ink pad like a rubber stamp except for the rocking action. The dies of course become covered with ink. It may be desired to change them frequently. Interchanging of ink-covered rocker dies in a holder has presented a problem as it has been necessary for the dies to be manually unfastened from and fastened to the holder, resulting in smearing of ink either on the operators hands or on the surface being worked on. Moreover, the unfastening and fastening of the dies has been a time consum ng operation.

I provide an improved marking device obviating the disadvantages of the prior devices above referred to. I provide a holder and die which may be very quickly assembled and disassembled without the necessity of smearing ink either on the operators hands or on the surface being worked on. Indeed, it is not necessary for the operator at any time to touch the dies of my improved marking device. The dies may be kept in a case with an edge of each projecting from the case and a selected die may be removed from the case and fastened to the holder by manipulation of the holder alone and without the necessity of handling orv even touching the die by the operator.

I provide a marking device comprising a holder, handle means on the holder at one face thereof and a die adapted to be fastened to the holder at the opposite face of the holder, the holder having means'adjacent an edge thereof adapted to interengage with a portion of the die upon relative movement between the holder and die whereby the die may be picked up by the holder, the holder having latch means adjacent the opposite edge thereof to latch thereto another portion of the die when the die is brought into faceto-face relationship with the holder. The holder may have a generally cylindrically curved. convex face and in such case the die has a face adapted to lie against said face of the holder and adapted when so lying to be similarly but concavelyv curved. The die may be permanently so curved or it may be normally flat and flexible, being adapted to be bent or flexed into curved shape when applied to the holder. The die desirably has a backing of flexible material such as spring brass which may be flat when the die is not held in place against the holder. When the die is assembled and latched to the holder it curves to conform to the curved convex face of the holder. When the latch of the holder is released the die is freed at one end and when provided with a normally flat spring brass backing assumes its flat condition which facilitates its insertion into the case in which it is disposed when not in use.

The holder preferably has a handle at its face opposite the generally cylindrically curved convex face thereof, the handle having a grip portion disposed at approximately the center of the holder at said opposite face and, when a curved holder is used, lying generally in a plane normal to the axis of curvature of the first mentioned face of the holder.

I further provide a die holder having adjacent an edge thereof a formation adapted upon relative movement between the holder and a die to interengage with a portion of the die whereby the die may be picked up by the holder and having adjacentits opposite edge latch means adapted to latch thereto another portion of the die when the holder and die are brought into face-to-face relationship. Said formation on the holder may comprise an arbor extending generally parallel to the edge of the holder but connected with the holder at one end only of the arbor and adapted to enter a sleeve in the die. Means may be provided operable by a portion of a h nd gripping the handle for operating the latch.

I st ll f rt er rovide a d e ada ted or use in a manually operable die holder comprising a body having a face adapted t lie against the holder, a sleeve connected with the body adjacent an edge thereof to receive an arbor carried by the holder whereby the die may be picked up by the holder and a keeper connected with the body adjacent the opposite edge thereof adapted for cooperation with a latch on the holder whereby the die may be latched t the holder when the die is brought into face-to-face relationship with the holder. The die is adapted to be kept when not in use in a case with an edge of the die projecting from the case, the sleeve of the die preferably forming the edge of the die adapted to project from the case. Thus the die may be removed from the case by the holder and similarly replaced in the case. It may be latched to and unlatched from the holder by the latch and latch operating means on the holder, the latch operating means being operable by a hand gripping the holder handle so that not only is it never necessary for the operator t touch any of the dies but it is never necessary for the operator to use more than one hand, either in use of the marking device or in changing dies. The only portions of the marking device which need be touched by the operator are the grip portion of the handle and the latch operating member.

Other details, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description of certain present preferred embodiments thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown certain present preferred embodiments of the invention, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a die being withdrawn from a case by a holder preparatory to fastening the die to the holder;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the holder;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the holder;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the holder;

Figure 5 is a side edge view of a die for use with the holder of Figures 2, 3 and i; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 2 but showing a die fastened to the holder ready for use.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, there are shown a die holder designated generally by reference numeral 2 and a case 3 having compartments 4 for receiving dies 5, a

number of such dies being shown in Figure 1. The holder comprises a generally cylindrically curved body 6 shown as being made of plate metal. Connected with the body 6 at the concave face thereof and disposed at approximately the center of the body at that face is a handle i having a grip portion 8. The handle is fastened to the body by screws 9. The handle I and the grip portion 8 thereof lie generally in a plane normal to the axis of curvature of the body 6.

The bottom or convex face of the body 6 is generally cylindrical curved about an axis normal to the plane of the paper, viewing Figure 2, and is adapted to receive a die of similar curvature so that the die lies against the bottom face of the holder body. Means now to be described are provided for fastening the die to the holder body, which means make possible the use of the marking device without the necessity of the operator ever touching any of the dies. Connected with the holder body 6 is an arm in which projects somewhat upwardly and somewhat longitudinally from the body at one corner thereof. The arm may be fastened to the body in any desired manner, desirably being integral with the plate metal of the body and bent up into a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the handle. The arm I0 carries an arbor or pin l l which lies parallel to the axis of curvature of the body and spaced a short distance outwardly and above the nearest edge of the body and is substantially parallel to that edge. The arbor may be connected with the arm ill in any desired manner, as, for example, by driving it into a bore provided in the arm and riveting or welding it in place.

Connected with the opposite end of the body as by Welding is a strap [2 having a body l3 and opposed downwardly extending legs M. The inner surfaces of the legs [4 are spaced apart a distance equal to the width of the body so that they snugly embrace the body at the end thereof. The strap l2 forms a guide for a latch now to be described.

Adapted for sliding movement within and guided by the strap I2 is a latch I5 which may conveniently be made of sheet metal and which has its outer edge or nose beveled upwardly and outwardly as shown at [6 in Figure 2. Connected with the inner edge of the latch is a rod H which extends in a direction parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the holder and within the lower portion l8 of the handle. The handle is provided with a hollowed out portion to receive the rod 17. The hollowed out portion of the handle comprises a generally cylindrical bore 29 adjacent one end of the handle, another generally cylindrical bore 28 adjacent the opposite end of the handle and a cutout portion 2| intermediate the bores i9 and 2E. Integral with the rod 1'! is a collar 22 which when the latch is in projected position as shown in Figure 2 abuts the forward wall 23 of the cut out portion 2! of the handle. A compression coil spring 24 bears between the collar 22 and the rearward wall 25 of the cut out portion 2i of the handle. Thus the spring 24 resiliently urges the latch l5 forward or to projected position. The latch may be withdrawn to inoperative position against the action of the spring 24 by means now to be described.

The end of the handle '3 nearer the arbor H has a generally vertical slot 26 disposed centrally thereof and the inner margin of which is indicated by the dotted line 2? in Figure 2. Pivoted to the handle by a pivot bolt 28 and disposed within the slot 26 is a lever 29 the lower end of which .is pivoted at 39 to the rear end of the rod H. The upper end of the lever 28 forms a latch operating portion 3| adapted to be engaged by the thumb of the operator when the grip portion 8 of the handle 1 is being gripped in the operators hand as shown in Figure 1. When the portion 3| of the lever 29 is pushed by the thumb toward the forward or right hand end of the holder, viewing Figure 2, the latch I5 is withdrawn to inoperative position so that the nose of the latch is disposed just within the strap I2. The die 5 comprises a body or backing 32 which may be of any suitable material, as, for example, sheet brass. The blank of which the backing 32 is formed is initially a substantially rectangular piece of sheet brass. At one end of the backing the brass is bent to form a sleeve 33 as clearly shown in Figure 5. The sleeve 33 is parallel to and in fact itself constitutes one end edge of the backing. Adjacent the sleeve 33 is a short zone as of the backing which is inclined at a slightangle to the central portion thereof. As shown in Figure 1 the portion 34 is adapted to have identifying indicia applied to it so that when the die is in the case the operator can tell simply from looking at the indicia what the die is.

The backing 32 has a keeper 35 formed at the end opposite the end at which the sleeve 33 is formed by turning the metal of the backing upwardly and reversely. The keeper 35 is shaped so that when the holder is applied to the die the nose of the latch will snugly fit within it. Attached to the backing 32 is a die facing 99 of rubber or any other suitable material adapted when inked to print upon an article being marked. The backing and facing may be fastened together in any suitable way, as, for example, by vucanizing the rubber of the facing to the backing.

The die and holder are made of such relative dimensions that the arbor it may be introduced axially into the sleeve 33 (see Figure 1) after which the die may be brought into position with the upper surface of the backing 32 flush with or in face-to-face relation to the undersurface of the body 6 of the holder. The latch i5 is retracted by the lever 29 to permit the die to fit snugly along the under surface of the holder throughout the length of the holder whereupon the lever 29 is released and the spring 24 projects the latch i5 into the keeper 35 as shown in Figure 6 to hold the die in place on the holder.

The marking device may be used and dies changed without the necessity of the operator ever touching a die. The dies are kept in a case 3 as shown in Figure 1. As shown, the case has six compartments, three below and three above. The bottom front edges of adjacent compartments are at different levels so that the sleeves of the dies are not in alignment, thus making it possible to introduce the arbor of the holder into the sleeve of any die which the operator may select. The dies when in place in the case have their operative or inked faces disposed upwardly so that the ink does not come in contact with the case. When the operator wishes to mark articles with one of the dies he introduces the arbor H into the sleeve 33 of the desired die as shown in Figure 1. Then holding only the handle of the holder he removes the die from the case as shown in Figure 1 and allows the die to swing toward the holder about the axis of the arbor H until the die lies approximately flush against or in face-to-face relation to the under surface of the holder. 4

When the die is fastened to the holder its curvature is the same as that of the holder. However, prior to fastening the die to the holder the die may be flat or it may be curved with a curvature less than that of the holder so that the die when attached to the holder wil be under spring tension created by its own resilience. The die may be made initially fiat as shown in Figure 5 or it may be made initially with slight curvature. If it is made initially flat it will tend to assume some curvature as it is used in the holder so that a die which is new and flat when attached to the holder may be slightly, curved when it is released from the holder after some use.

In fastening the die to the holder the end of the die opposite the end at which the sleeve 33 is disposed is pressed down on the table by the cooperating end of the holder and at the same time the latch i5 is retracted by pressing against the portion 35 of the lever 29 with the thumb. Retraction of the latch allows the die to lie flush against the bottom of the holder throughout its length. Then the lever 29 is released and the spring 29 moves the latch ii; to projected position as shown in Figure 6 so that its nose lies within the keeper 35, thus firmly holding the die in place. The die is then used in the usual way, being inked by rocking it on an ink pad and then being placed with the facing 36 against the article to be marked and rocking it to transfer the marking to the article.

When the die is to be replaced in the case 3 the holder is held with the end carrying the arbor H upwardly, at which time the lever 29 is operated to retract the latch l5. This allows the lower portion of the die (i. e., the end at which the keeper 35 is disposed) to swing free of the holder. The operator with a little practice can easily swing the lower end of the die into the desired compartment in the case 3 and push the die into the compartment into its normal posi tion, using only the holder. When the die is normally seated in the compartment the arbor It is withdrawn from the sleeve 33.

While I have shown and described certain present preferred embodiments of the invention it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto but may be otherwise variously embodied within the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A die holder having adjacent an edge thereof an arbor extending generally parallel to said edge but connected with the holder at one end only of the arbor and adapted to enter a sleeve in a die upon relative movement between the holder and die whereby the die may be picked up by the holder and having adjacent its opposite edge latch means adapted to latch thereto another portion of the die when the holder and die are brought into face-to-face relationship.

HARRY J. DEVON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

